Recession hits state's poorest kids hardest

Published 4:00 am, Friday, January 22, 2010

Students at Franklin Elementary School attend an assembly about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010, in Oakland, Calif.

Students at Franklin Elementary School attend an assembly about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010, in Oakland, Calif.

Photo: Noah Berger, Special To The Chronicle

Recession hits state's poorest kids hardest

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The recession has hit state schools hard, forcing districts to cancel summer school, increase class size and let go custodians, counselors and teachers, but California's poorest kids are bearing the brunt of it, according to a UCLA study released Thursday.

Principals across the state told researchers that the severe economic downturn is taking a tremendous toll not only on school budgets, but also on social services provided by state and city agencies, which help ensure students are ready and able to learn. That's a double whammy that could roll back academic gains made over the past few years, the researchers said.

The study by UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education & Access offers a timely look through the eyes of principals at what the economic upheaval has meant for schools.

The principals - 87 selected at random, but representing the state's diverse demographics - uniformly agreed that the recession has hurt, with 3 out of 4 saying that they have had to increase class sizes in the elementary grades and severely cut or eliminate summer school in the past year.

Principals serving predominantly low-income students were more likely to report such cuts. More than 66 percent of principals in high-poverty schools, for example, reported teacher layoffs compared with 15 percent in schools where students primarily come from middle- or upper-income families.

Students in need

John Rogers, director of the UCLA institute, said several principals told researchers much the same thing: "We are trying our best now. We will get through this year, but we can't do this forever."

At the same time, schools across the board are seeing more students in need because some families have lost their homes, their jobs and their health care. With the recession hitting social services that help provide housing, food and health care, the safety net isn't always there to catch the children, researchers and local education officials said.

"All those things matter for our kids," said Hydra Mendoza, school board member for San Francisco Unified School District, which is facing a budget shortfall of $113 million over the next two years and is considering cuts to summer schools, transportation and staffing.

The district was not included in the study's random sample.

California was hit particularly hard by the recession, with the state topping the list in foreclosures and unemployment, Rogers said.

Across the state, school districts almost universally saw an increase in the number of students qualifying for free and reduced lunches - an indication of poverty.

Statewide, 54 percent of students, or 3.3 million students, last school year qualified for school meals, up from 51 percent the year before - an increase of 132,000 students.

"I think that puts even more pressure on the community and schools in part to fill the gap," said Oakland Unified spokesman Troy Flint. "All these social services are important for creating an environment where children can learn." While Alameda County schools were included in the study, specific schools were not identified.

Wealthier fare better

Wealthier communities are more able to help their schools, researchers found.

Principals in more affluent schools reported on average nearly $170,000 in donations compared with $21,000 for low-income schools.

With the recession hitting high-poverty schools the hardest, state and federal education officials probably will find it that much more difficult to help African American, Hispanic and low-income students catch up academically with their white and Asian peers, researchers said. The recession, in short, is driving a deeper wedge into the state's achievement gap.

"Before the recession, California schools had fewer resources than most schools across the nation," Rogers said, with the state among the bottom in spending per student. "Now, we have clearly fallen further and further behind."

Recession impact

The Educational Opportunity Report from the UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education & Access outlines the impact of the recession on state schools using a representative sample of California principals. Highlights of the report include:

-- 70 percent of principals said summer school had been cut or eliminated

-- 58 percent said they either cut back or eliminated textbook purchases

-- 43 percent reported teacher layoffs

-- 41 percent asked parents or community groups to cover the cost of field trips

-- 25 percent reported cuts to school psychologists, social workers and nurses

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